Skills

Critical Thinking Skills – A development framework

The development of critical thinking as an essential skill in 21st-century learning is uncontested within educational and professional settings. The degree to which it is operationally defined, taught and assessed, however, is not well documented. This complicates efforts to develop critical thinking in learners, as well as devise intervention techniques and assessment tools. The ACER … Continue reading →

Skills and Workforce Development in Ontario – 3 Promising development practices

In When Training Works: Promising workforce development practices, authors Metcalf Innovation Fellow Danielle Olsen and John MacLaughlin seek to deepen our understanding of how to connect job seekers to good jobs by illuminating the work of innovators – NPower Canada, Building Up, Elevate Plus Manufacturing, and ACCES Employment – who are leading the way in … Continue reading →

National Skills Strategy in Germany – Ten objectives

In view of the challenges posed by structural and sectoral change in technical and economic terms, the German Federal Government has worked together with the social and economic partners, the Lander and the Federal Employment Agency, in consultation with academics and practitioners, to develop a National Skills Strategy (the Strategy) focusing on continuing vocational education … Continue reading →

Skills and the Future of Work – Forecasts of extremely rapid change are not based on empirical record

In this paper, existing evidence on levels of job skill requirements is examined to provide an understanding of historical trends and current levels. It also provides a frame of reference for evaluating predictions regarding future changes in job skill requirements. High levels of inequality accompanied by changes in technology, employment relations, and the global division … Continue reading →

Skills in Australia – Over 1400 qualifications and almost 17,000 units of competency on offer

The number of qualifications and competencies The present array of over 1400 qualifications and almost 17,000 units of competency on offer has been described as bewildering by the Productivity Commission. It is important to recognise, however, that these key features of the design and content of the train- ing system are in fact very much … Continue reading →

Skills in Australia – For a business-led upskilling agenda

Where next for skills? COVID-19 has triggered unprecedented change in the workforce. How can business-led upskilling drive productivity and growth in the workforce. What can businesses do to give employees the right skills for the future of work? To enable a Business-led upskilling effort government need to; Work with business to deliver more responsive upskilling … Continue reading →

COVID, Reskilling and Upskilling – 42% of companies stepped up their investment while 42% of employees have pursued training on their own after the coronavirus outbreak

Employee reskilling and upskilling training is in the spotlight. Learn how and why companies reskill and upskill their workforce and what employees think. In late 2019, the World Economic Forum issued an alert. Lack of skills was keeping CEOs awake at night. The only way to bridge the skills gap is through upskilling or reskilling … Continue reading →

Skills and Wages – Employment has primarily increased in occupations where workers have larger-than-average endowments of verbal and technical abilities and social maturity

Abstract Using very detailed register data on cognitive abilities and productive personality traits for nearly all Swedish males at age 18, we show that employment in the recent past has shifted towards skill-intensive occupations. Employment growth is monotonically skill biased in relation to this set of general-purpose transferable skills, despite the well-known U-shaped (”polarizing”) relationship … Continue reading →

Online Working – The most crucial skills for thriving in the online platform economy are technical-core skills

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has highlighted the vast opportunities of working and learning digitally.In these exceptional times, where a large part of the workforce has been obliged to work remotely due to home confinement and social distancing measures, gig or crowd-workers have enjoyed a kind of ‘home field’ advantage: working and interacting digitally has always … Continue reading →

Skills – Integrating competencies in postsecondary education and training

Although employers may require degrees, these credentials may not be the best signal of skills for hiring qualified workers. And students may not see investing in years of postsecondary education as cost-effective. Using competencies to communicate skills could facilitate smarter hiring practices and create a more flexible, lower-cost education system of shorter-term credentials that are … Continue reading →

Digital Skills for Data-Intensive Science – A need for both digitally skilled researchers, who have a common set of foundational digital skills coupled with domain-specific specialised skills

As we move into a new era of data-intensive science, expectations are high. Big data analysis and access to new forms of data are already providing important and novel scientific insights and driving innovation. As the ability to combine and analyse data from different domains increases, complex societal challenges, including those embedded in the United … Continue reading →

Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning in Europe – There are significant differences in the use of validation between the education and training area and the labour market

Validation of non-formal and informal learning is defined as ‘a process of confirmation by an authorised body that an individual has acquired learning outcomes measured against a relevant standard’. The analysis examines the degree of development experienced in relation to the 11 principles set out in the Council recommendation on validation. It is important to … Continue reading →

Skills vs College Degree in US – Some 36 million Americans have some college education, but no credential

Americans without a degree have the skills and knowledge to thrive in higher wage jobs. And jobs that don’t require college can offer a less expensive, shorter pathway to a good career, oftentimes with a higher starting salary. They are often “stackable,” allowing workers to layer new skills and credentials by weaving work with learning … Continue reading →

Post-COVID Skills Mismatch – It is the time to start preparing

The pandemic has transformed working modes. With the ILO estimating that 81% of the global labor force is engaged in a work-from-home experiment, flexible and remote arrangements are likely to become the new normal. In the wake of the crisis, some 75% of global businesses plan to shift at least 5% of employees who previously … Continue reading →

COVID and Work – Logging in to learn, an infographic